Huntley admits murdering Jessica, parents say

Ian Huntley, the man sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells in Soham in August 2002, has admitted for the first time that he killed Jessica deliberately.

In court, Huntley, 30, who worked as a caretaker at the Soham Village College, said the 10-year-olds had died accidentally at his house.

But his parents now say he has told them that he murdered Jessica.

"We've sat down with him and we're about 80% there," his father, Kevin, told the Daily Mirror. "We've found out what happened to Jessica. We've spent months trying to persuade him to tell the truth.

Mr Huntley, 49, heard his son's confession while visiting him in prison with his wife, Lynda. "He's said he killed Jessica, and told us how he did it. He needs to tell us more about what happened to Holly."

During his trial at the Old Bailey, Huntley denied murdering the two girls. He said that Holly had gone to the bathroom to try to stop a nosebleed, but had fallen into the bath and drowned.

When asked about Jessica's death, he said he had been attempting to stop her from screaming when she had stopped breathing.

Huntley's version of events did not satisfy the jury, who found him guilty of the girls' murders. He was sentenced to life and is currently in Wakefield top security prison.

His parents said he admitted to them that he had lied in court when they visited him in Belmarsh jail, in south London. His father also believes that his son's confession may have been recorded by the prison's surveillance equipment. He said that they had come forward with the information for the sake of Holly and Jessica's parents.

"Those poor families deserve to know, we deserve to know, the whole country deserves to know," said Mr Huntley.

"It was a terrible thing for his mother to hear, but she is the only one who could get it out of him. We are devastated by what he said, but the truth needs to be told."

Cambridgeshire police are to investigate the Huntleys' account. "We are keen to examine any fresh information on this case," said a police spokesman. "We will consider the Daily Mirror's evidence with interest."